1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lancet assembly, and more particularly, concerns an automatic retractable lancet assembly useful in penetrating the skin of a patient.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sharp-pointed lancets are employed to make a quick puncture or penetration of the patient's skin in order to provide a small outflow of blood. Various tests may be employed with only small amounts of blood so that the blood flowing from a finger prick is normally sufficient. However, due to the sensitive nerve endings in the finger tip area, this procedure could induce a significant amount of pain in the patient even though the skin puncture produces minimal cutting. In order to minimize potential pain, it is desirable to make the thrust of the lancet through the patient's skin rapidly.
Spring-loaded lancets of different types and forms have been well known and are typified, for example, by U.S. Pat. Nos. 55,620; 1,135,465; 3,030,959; 4,139,011; 4,203,446; 4,230,118; Swedish Pat. No. 124247 and Sutor, A. H., et al., "Bleeding From Standardized Skin Punctures: Automated Technique for Recording Time, Intensity and Pattern of Bleeding," A. J. C. P., Volume 55, May 1971. An improvement in a spring-loaded lancet is also described in an application entitled "Automatic Retractable Lancet Assembly," assigned in common with the assignee of the present application and filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on an even date herewith.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,446, above, is significant in that it teaches the puncture of the skin of a patient with a lancet which is retracted back into the device after piercing the patient's skin. In the patented device, the downward motion of the lancet is initiated by the impact of a spring-loaded hammer, and as this motion continues the spring potential decreases. At the time of impact, the return spring begins to compress and increase potential energy. When the potential energy in the return spring under compression exceeds the potential energy in the driving spring, compression of the return spring ends and decompression begins. This, then, reverses the motion of the lancet. However, impact is necessary to compress the return spring and increase its potential energy rapidly. Without the impact force, the spring forces would approach equilibrium and then there would be no reverse motion in order to retract the lancet out of the patient's skin. Furthermore, since spring potential is critical in this patented device, a conical spring is relied upon to overcome recoil due to the surge of the larger return spring. Despite the foregoing inventions, improvements in this field of lancets are still being sought.